Beatriz Pérez de las Heras

Beyond Kyoto: The EU's Contribution to a More Sustainable World Economy

The EU has been leading the world fight against climate change since the late 1990s. This activism on the international scene has served as a stimulus for a common action against global warming that has, in the last 10 years, become a world referent and the central issue in the EU environmental policy. The most relevant initiative is the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions trading scheme (ETS), adopted in fulfilment of the Kyoto Protocol. In 2008, the EU adopted a new set of measures on climate and energy for the post�?Kyoto period (2013–2020). This new legal framework, coupled with the provisions introduced by the Treaty of Lisbon and the ‘Europe 2020’ strategy, represents the EUs commitment to promote a more sustainable European and world economic model.

The Charter of Fundamental Rights as a New Element of European Identity and Beyond

The effective implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights (CFR) of the European Union (EU) is contributing to furthering European integration and identity. The binding scope of the CFR is limited to the EU’s areas of power, but in practice it is being applied beyond the literal terms of its provisions. Fundamental rights have become an inescapable horizontal reference for any new legislation in all EU policies. Substantive legal acts are being adopted to implement the CFR, and the interaction between national courts and the EU Court of Justice is paving the way toward an EU judicial system of fundamental rights protection. Citizens are becoming increasingly aware of these developments. This process contributes to reinforcing a sense of identity, while strengthening the EU’s political legitimacy.

The European Union’s external Policy on climate change adaptation: from conditionality-driven action to sustainable development

T 0 0 1 169 930 IDH 7 2 1097 14.0 Normal 0 21 false false false ES JA X-NONE h e European Union (EU) has been promoting climate change adaptation measures in developing countries for the last 15 years. EU support is channeled through a number of external policies, but the development cooperation policy is particularly significant. Support has traditionally been conditional upon recipient countries’ adopting a National Adaptation Plan (NAP). This conditionality-based action has not only helped to promote NAPs in developing countries but also enabled these countries to participate in international climate governance. Yet this approach by itself, combined with certain inconsistencies, has failed to achieve sustainable development, one of the overarching goals of all EU policies. On the basis of this experience, the emphasis of the EU’s external climate policy is currently shifting towards a broader approach that takes into account the three dimensions (economic, social and environmental) of sustainable development. This more comprehensive approach and corresponding tools are more in line with the EU’s legal commitment to ensure Policy Coherence for Development.